"You may step forward now, Koga."

  Koga's eyes were focused solely in front of him, on his grandfather, as he complied to the soon to be former Gym Leader's order. The to be crowned Gym Leader put his hands together as his eyes remained locked with the older man's, as though the sockets held magnets rather than pupils. Before anything could proceed, both pressed their hands together and bowed with perfect symmetry, before resuming the unbreakable gaze.

  "I, Leader Ryusei Kyo of Fuchsia," grandfather raised his voice for the rest of the family looking on in the dimly lit room. "Hereby pass mantle and title." Reaching out with his arm, actions mirrored by his grandson, he opened his hand, revealing a Soul Badge that was firmly pressed into Koga's palm. Ryusei's fingers did not leave their position, applying light pressure as the badge rested in the hand of its new owner. "Now, repeat: I, Koga Kyo of Fuchsia."

  "I, Koga Kyo of Fuchsia." Koga's eyes were still locked with Ryusei's, and his voice left his throat with zero imperfections to be heard.

  "Solemnly assume duty of Gym Leader and head of family." Ryusei continued the moment his grandson finished echoing the start.

  "Solemnly assume duty of Gym Leader and head of family." And Koga echoed the moment his grandfather was finished.

  "And understand that every action I am to take,"

  And understand that every action I am to take,"

  "Is a decision made and carried out for the people of Indigo."

  "Is a decision made and carried out for the people of Indigo."

  "For a contract with the League is a contract with the Guardian Mew."

  "For a contract with the League is a contract with the Guardian Mew."

  "And a promise to atone for our sinful legacy is an eternal vow that shall never be broken."

  "And a promise to atone for our sinful legacy is an eternal vow that shall never be broken."

  "And the techniques and tactics that once plagued this land by our command,"

  "And the techniques and tactics that once plagued this land by our command,"

  "Will now be used for the protection of Indigo's people, and the punishment of those we protect from."

  "Will now be used for the protection of Indigo's people, and the punishment of those we protect from."

  "To ensure eternal peace in a land once plagued by chaos."

  "To ensure eternal peace in a land once plagued by chaos."

  "My burdened curse is a sacred mission." Ryusei finished.

  "My burdened curse is a sacred mission." As did Koga.

  Eye contact was broken, Ryusei left the Soul Badge in his grandson's hand as he turned to the pedestal beside them. Resting at the top was a sturdy mask, shaped into the head of a crowned, fanged serpent. The older man took the mask in his hands, making eye contact with it before turning back to Koga, who knelt down on both knees.

  "Shadowblood's mask will now represent the burdened curse that your sacred mission commands you to bear, honored Leader of Fuchsia."

  The mask fit Koga's face perfectly, hiding the even perfection of his face, which in turn hid everything underneath. With seamless symmetry, he and his grandfather swapped positions, the former Gym Leader collapsing to both knees as the newly crowned one rose to full height. With the physical gentleness of a Pidgey's feather, and the emotional weight of a Steelix, Koga rested his hand atop Ryusei's head, before turning to the rest of his family. To his sister, to his cousins, to those married into the Clan, to those joining through tutelage. As his arm rose above his head, holding the Soul Badge as highly as his reach could stretch, everybody before him descended to the floor in a bow.

  /

  Janine's face scrunched at the footage of the documentary, and Koga could see the welling in her eyes.

  "It's almost over," he assured his seven year old daughter. "About fifteen minutes left."

  It was a documentary on the history of poaching in Indigo, and the various other criminal practices often intertwined with it. Fuchsia Gym had an impressive archive in both filmed and written form for a variety of essential subjects regarding the League, the land under Indigo's banner, among other things, with a dedicatedly sizable section focused entirely on criminal affairs. The underworld was a deep and layered place, where the worst of humanity pulled the strings and filled their pockets. In a position such as his and his family's, knowledge of the evils of the world were a crucial and non-negotiable necessity for Koga to learn throughout his upbringing. Of course, his child did not view the same material that he did at the same age; keeping everything up to date was just as important for her education and training, although outdated information was rarely if ever disposed of, instead remaining in the archive. It was a piece of history, after all, and history was to be kept sacred immortal, so as to inform the present and future.

  Such a thing was vital for Janine and other younger members of the clan to learn as well.

  "Father, I…" as he looked back at his daughter, he saw her swallow as she stuttered on her words. Stuttering was to always be corrected, for habitual purposes. "Why must we watch this?"

  To ensure nothing important was missed, Koga paused the documentary, leaving the large flatscreen frozen with the image of a shriveled and shivering Dodrio. As he turned to face his daughter in full, she responded in kind, knowing that her father's motions were a sign to look him in the eye. Hers were still wet, an uncompromised fear and uncertainty dominating them, and spreading along her face to form her expression.

  "Yes, why indeed…" he started. "Your aunt and I have asked that same question more than once." a sentence he had told Janine before; and that he himself had been told by his mother and grandfather. How many before him had spoken a word as simplistic as 'why'? And how many sentences had such a single word been attached to, throughout the course of their training?

  The root answer was always the same: The Clan's vow. The sacred contract with the League, an empire built off of the Guardian Mew's blessing, and the historic blood on their family's hands. But that was only the root answer, and the specifics of each subject required a good deal more than a repeated history lesson. After all, how else would the coming generation of the Kyo Clan truly understand? Being told and being taught was a difference that no self respecting mentor or leader would tolerate ignorance towards.

  "There are some things you are not yet ready to know, Janine." he continued. "And you'll learn them when the time is right. Appropriately, when you have sizable experience as a trainer, multiple years down the line. Going into your eventual career, however, there are things you need to know, and have seen, out of the gate. It's about knowledge."

  "..." after a moment or two of silence, she broke eye contact to carefully look back at the screen. Koga inwardly nodded when she did not reply to him until after she had resumed eye contact. "But why this…"

  "Because education is not meant to be fun." Koga allowed himself a breath. "I know that's blunt, young lady, but knowledge itself is equally blunt. Not everything one learns about the world is going to invoke happiness, but that is not how learning is always perceived. Most children your age attend schools that romanticize the world's history. They know the general stories, but very few of the nuances are ever told to them until much later. It's a context that they can afford to be eased into. But we are different. Not just you and me, but all of our relatives and companions, as well as our predecessors and eventual successors alike. People are told that the lessons taught to them are supposed to be fun, whether it be history, reading, math, or science, but what they are actually supposed to be, is useful. That itself, is an important lesson. Do you follow me so far?"

  "..." he gave her time. She was consistently good at processing the things told to her, but she was young, and the subject of conversation was vital. Making sure that everything sunk in was more important than simply rushing through to check off every box. "I think so, father." she said after a few additional moments." The look in her eyes were consistent with her lips.

  Koga nodded in approval. "Good. You already know of our Clan's duty, and the burden that we bear as a part of that duty. But you need to understand what that entails. We hold authority in Indigo, but we must know of the land itself, and the people around us. Who are we leading? Who are we protecting?" he broke eye contact just enough to nod at the flatscreen, still paused, before looking back at her as though his gaze had never left. "But we also must understand who and what we protect Indigo and its people from. The League was formed as a permanent solution to the chaos that plagued this once war-torn land, but malevolence does not die with order and peace. The peaceful world that the people of today enjoy, is only so because people like us are there to maintain it. Team Rocket threatens its very existence, but there are others as well, who come in many forms. They could be poachers, burglars, traffickers, to name a few, there will always be people who would ruin others for their own benefit." he paused for another moment, allowing it to sink in once more. "So you need to know who they are. How does one fulfill the position of authority that this Clan stands in, if they do not understand the world surrounding them? That all goes back to education not being fun. Because not everything you need to know is going to be pleasant. There are many great things about the world that make it worth preserving. Every coin has two sides, however. This side of Indigo's coin is a dark one." he shifted his body, turning back to the flatscreen in full. "So that's why we watch things like this, and read about them. These are the people we punish, and this is why we punish them. For the sake of all the good in the world, this is the evil we fight to purge. Do you understand now?"

  "..." looking from the corner of his eye, he saw his daughter turn back to the flatscreen with some hesitation. Once she was facing it in full, he prepared to resume the footage. "I understand, father."

  After a moment or two, he looked back at her, waiting for his daughter to return his gaze one final time. "I understand that this is difficult. It was for me and your aunt, and it will take longer than either of us to prefer before it gets any easier. Some of it may never be easy at all." he took a breath. "But… on some levels, that is for the best. It's not meant to be easy. It's a duty. A responsibility. Some things in life are meant to be hard, but that just reminds us of their importance. Does that make sense?"

  "It does." her tone was not entirely steady, but it was accepting, almost mirroring the exact message behind his words to her.

  "Good. This upcoming part is particularly important, so pay attention, and make sure you never forget what you see and hear."

  "...Yes, father."

  /

  "But father, I don't like the hard bed, it hurts."

  Crossing his arms with the sturdiness of an iron wall, Koga's face remained equally unflinching as he lightly shook his head at the eight year old. Janine rubbed her sore bottom, gaze mildly averting whenever she attempted to look the Gym Leader in the eye.

  "Disobedience comes with due penalty, Janine, you know this. Look at me properly." as if flipping a switch, his words steadied her gaze on his face, allowing father and daughter to study each other's expressions. The girl's features were softened by young age, the effort to mirror the stability of his own exposed by the imperfections and subtle motions he was long trained to pick up on. Her eyes were a mix of emotions difficult to understand for most, but for him, it was routine to pick up on the combination of respect, fear, sadness, and regret, a story by her pupils as though they were a book. Many would look at her face and simply see "uncertainty", but to truly understand a person, it was imperative to know the roots, like how the answer to a mathematical equation could only be understood by studying the formula.

  As Koga stared at his daughter, thoughts flowed through the back of his mind, but only remained in the back, so as to not serve as a distraction from the current moment. Her position was one that he had been in multiple times before, and one not unfamiliar to herself either. He could remember feeling what she felt, perhaps even saying what she had said. Discipline was a trait that could only be bred by both sides, the one dishing it out, and the one absorbing it. Perhaps deep down, he always knew that he would be on both ends at different points of his life. The best for him, and now for her, as was part of his job.

  "It is one thing to underperform, Janine. Deliberate defiance of an order is different." The regret in her eyes grew stronger, beginning to somewhat overtake the rest. "And you disobeyed two, which is beyond apology, so I do not wish to hear one from you. Do I speak clearly?"

  "...Yes, father."

  "Does that mean you are aware of what your punishment is for?" The confusion on her face told him to elaborate. "You may know what you did, but do you understand why it is wrong?" Though she opened her mouth, her lips froze mid movement as he spoke again, and a brief, subtle shade of pale passed over her face. The belief that she had been on the verge of speaking out of turn. "Do not answer me tonight, do so in the morning. Spend the night reflecting, and tell me during breakfast why your punishment was necessary. Understood?"

  "Yes, father." she lowered her head as she spoke, before turning around to make her way to bed.

  "I do this for your sake, Janine." she stopped midway to the door frame as he spoke again. "It may seem cruel and unusual in the moment, but one day you will understand the necessity behind it." A sentence that could be applied to any number of the Clan's practices.

  "Understood, father." Were the last words she said before leaving.

  Koga's eyes remained glued to the doorway that she had walked through for a few moments longer. Despite her words, he knew his daughter did not understand. Not yet, at any rate. He certainly did not at the same age, whether he thought he did or simply said so for the sake of saying so. Nonetheless, it was not expected for her to simply know automatically. Human minds did not work like that. They needed to be conditioned and honed. His hand in hand positions as Fuchsia Gym Leader and leader of the Kyo Clan made such conditioning an utmost duty of his.

  Janine was close to everything that was necessary for her to be. Bright, creative. Talented yet hard working. Nearly as disciplined as a child of her age reasonably could be. Dedicated and focused. A prodigy in every sense of the word, and most likely a generational one, as he himself was once looked upon as, and she was near the cusp of outpacing even himself. But with no siblings to compete with (a rarity nonetheless not unheard of in the family) she was left with one less tool to truly bring out that potential. It made his own role in her upbringing all the more essential; every training session, and every studious moment all the more crucial. Being of the Kyo Clan, no less the core lineage in charge of the family was much unlike any normal lineage.

  But that was the curse the both of them, and the rest of the clan bore. The cruel, chaos tainted legacy of Gwyniff Kyo, and the origin of which they were contracted to atone for.

  /

  Ash was not quite sure how to place the emotions flowing through him at the sight, it was an overlord he would not wish on anyone. Of course, it was largely blamed on how overwhelmed he already was before seeing it. He remembered the last time half of his team were nearly stolen away from him en route to Celadon, and how unbearable that rush had been. It was all coming back to him when he was informed that Nebula had been shot out of the sky.

  And the group's rush to get to where she last was had led them to this.

  It was some sort of mechanical cage, with bars that glowed with an eerie energy, to the point where they almost resembled it less than physical steel itself. Standing close to the contraption, he could hear the humming, a noise that tingled his spine in a never ending shiver. Looking at the bars was not any more pleasant; although it did not hurt his eyes nearly as much as one would expect from such a glow, it sent no shortage of unpleasant sensations through his brain. Nonetheless, his eyes remained focused on the bars, or, more accurately, what was behind them.

  A collection of ghosts. Over half a dozen in total, they were huddled together near the middle of the cage, as though they were trying to stay as far away from the bars as they possibly could (due to the width of the cage, they could only go so far, however). The idea of a ghost Pokemon sweating was an odd thought that rarely if ever occurred to the boy, and yet here they were. The group's presence barely seemed to register with more than a couple of them, the majority of the ghosts appearing deliriously fatigued and dazed, as though they were bedridden from an illness. The two ghosts that did seem to fully notice them did nothing to acknowledge it, instead keeping their faces scrunched, as though attempting to fight off whatever pain it was that they were feeling, a task that required full effort and attention, and no distractions.

  The sight had been stumbled upon while the panic over Nebula continued to torture him, and now Ash did not know how he felt. "Numb" would not be the correct term, but at this point, he could not identify what he was feeling. His emotional senses were overclocked and overheated, with no hope of placing what was what.

  Beside him, the Pokemon of the group were equally speechless. Valiant almost seemed to be in pain himself; no doubt using his senses to read the undeniably distressed emotions of every captive ghost. The Kirlia's face was pale and his eyes were wide, hands finding their way to Ash's leg, clinging onto and leaning against him for support. Though Ash only half-registered the physical contact, he would not have minded regardless. Pikachu, Glaceon, and Ivysaur all held similar expressions, slightly backing away from the cage while taking in the disturbing sight.

  It was Janine who broke everybody out of their trance. Though far from stoic, her expression was nigh-unreadable, face as pale as Valiant's, and eyes half-distant, frozen in place at the sight. Her lips trembled long before she found the strength to attempt speech.

  "W-Who… Who did this!?" As Ash came too, his companion's voice pierced his stupor, like a knife cutting through the thick butter of Nebula's peril, and whatever inhumanity the sight before them was.

  Perhaps it was only then that everything truly sank in. Images flashed through his mind. The sounds of the abruptly panicking ghosts in the tower. Caleb clinging to him in fright. Yami being sucked away into the sphere…

  …The roar. The collapsing of the world around him. His tear stained face in the grass.

  He nearly lost his footing, silently grateful for the vine that sprouted from Ivysaur's bulb to catch him before he fell backward.

  "T-These are…" his speech jumbled itself for a moment before gathering his words. "These are the ghosts from Lavender. "S-Some of them, I mean. They've been scattering…" And now they were captured.

  "Poachers…" Janine's voice was a distant monotone as her brain seemed to put the pieces together in real time. "Someone's abducting the ones in the area…" her purple eyes widened, and her fingers began to shake. "Are… are there more…?"

  "None of your business."

  The group whirled around to see two figures approaching them. A short, slightly plump woman with light brunette pigtails and a lanky man with a gray crew cut, both wearing deep gray shirts with a white emblem on the chest and thick, brown pants. It had been the former who spoke, and the pair were flanked by a Leafeon and Flareon. Though the grass type was quiet and unreadable, the fire type quadruped's eyes narrowed at the sight of the group, face scrunched the way most felines did when hissing, his tongue passing over his lips.

  For a brief instance, Ash worried his heart might stop again. The realization that these two were not wearing Rocket uniforms subsided that notion just enough for him not to lose focus, as he quickly put two and two together.

  "You guys are doing this?" even as he felt his fists tighten unbearably, they were still trembling nonetheless.

  The man seemed to ignore the rhetorical question. "Caesar's guess was right, I suppose. So you two found our trail."

  "So that's a yes?" Janine's eyes darkened just enough to only barely be noticeable. "What the hell do you think you're doing!?"

  "It's business, kid." the woman responded as the predatory Flareon positioned himself in front of her. "Now come with us."

  Ash felt his insides go cold as Pikachu's cheeks sparked in front of him. As though automatic, Glaceon, Ivysaur and Valiant all assumed stances. "What…" Of course, he processed the reasoning just before the man spoke.

  "We can't have you talking to the authorities," the man explained. "Just come quietly, we won't fight a couple of kids unless we have to."

  'They shot Nebula down.' It was all sinking in definitively as Flareon and Leafeon bent their knees in preparation, paying close attention to his and Janine's Pokemon. 'They have her somewhere.'

  "Where's my Staravia!?" the words left his mouth before he could think. Janine briefly glanced at him before returning her gaze to the two poachers. As she did, she seemed to notice something that she hadn't before.

  "Wait a minute…" her voice trailed off for a split second. "That uniform…"

  "Uniform?" Ash made the mistake of breaking his gaze to look at her, and the duo struck.

  "Enough of this," the woman snapped her fingers. "Subdue them!"

  Flareon performed a tiny hop to position himself fully in front of his party, a stream of flames erupting from his mouth and aimed cleanly at Glaceon. Although A Water Pulse began forming in her mouth to intercept the blast, she paused as Valiant was quickly in front of her. As he blocked the fire with a barrier, the ice type leapt over her friend, flanked by Pikachu, aiming an Ice Beam at the charging Leafeon. His tail was coated in metal as he sidestepped the attack, leaving the soil to freeze over before lunging upwards. He was met in midair by Pikachu, whose momentum was boosted by Agility as he struck back with an Iron Tail of his own. The two tails clanged together with a loud, sharp clap, and although no pain was felt on either side, Leafeon was pushed back, rebalancing himself upon landing only to find Glaceon upon him with an Ice Fang.

  She was forced to change her trajectory however as Flareon was detected from the corner of her eye. The fire type was snarling in an almost primal tone not befitting what one would typically expect from his species, and made a mad lunge to sink his burning teeth into the ice type's side. When she moved to intercept him with Iron Tail, he did the same, only to find himself rolling backwards as the two tails clanged together, hers roughly pushing him away after a brief struggle. His retaliatory Flamethrower was blocked by her Water Pulse, and Leafeon's attempt to strike her from behind was met with a teleporting Valiant attempting to blast him with Psychic on Ash's command, only for the grass type to block the assault by protectively holding out an Iron Tail in front of his face.

  The man chewed his lip. "Damnit, we need to end this fast." as the woman discreetly fiddled with an unseen device on her belt, he stepped forward. "Shadow Ball, Leafeon!"

  "Knock it back!" Though his heart was still beating just as fast, Ash's voice had been given the chance to grow a bit more comfortable.

  "Anesthesia Blast, Ivysaur!" Janine called out next.

  Leafeon fired a sizably concentrated Shadow Ball at the Kirlia, but Valiant did not flinch as his electric type friend quickly appeared in front of him, whacking the ghostly orb back at its sender. The grass type only had time for his eyes to widen before he was sent painfully sliding back against the dirt. On the other end, Flareon whirled around to intercept the Sleep Powder-coated seeds that Ivysaur fired at him, with another Flamethrower. Hurriedly, Valiant teleported back in front of Ash and Janine to provide protection if necessary. Furious, the fire type stamped one of his forepaws repeatedly against the dirt, before hungrily charging forward with Iron Tail.

  "Go for the eye!" Janine's tone was sharper than before, as though her tongue was a knife. With no hesitation, a Venom Vine sprouted from Ivysaur's bulb and lashed out at the charging assailant before he could react. The Vine Whip, covered in the glowing toxins of poison powder, struck the attacker's eyes as successfully as a dart to the bullseye, and Flareon screeched. He was not given time to do much more; soon finding himself sandwiched between Valiant's Thunderbolt and Glaceon's Water Pulse. The electricity traveled across his now wet fur and into his system, and his muscles convulsed.

  "Super Tail!"

  After socking Leafeon in the jaw with Brick Break, Pikachu yelped in pain as a retaliatory Leaf Blade knocked him back. The grass type was about to press his offense when Glaceon made her move, positioning herself in front of the reeling Flareon and striking him full force in the head with her tail. The impact punted him with appalling speeds right in the startled Leafeon's direction, and if Flareon had not been unconscious from the blow himself, he was certainly knocked out when his body collided with his partner.

  "Shit!" the woman's face scrunched hideously as she ripped the communication device from her belt. "Backup, Caesar! It's two kids, the Staravia's theirs!"

  Janine's breath caught in her throat for a moment. "Ash, if these people are who I think we're in trouble. Take them out!"

  Ash knew he had no time to question the details, not that he ever doubted whatever magnitude of peril they had found themselves in again. "Zap them, buddy!"

  "Damnit, Leafeon!" was all the man could say before he and the woman turned to flee. They had no hope of outrunning the mouse, however. As he bounded after them, a drop of blood leaked from his chin where Leafeon had cut him, but the stinging sensation left behind did nothing to hamper his speed. Forcing himself to his feet behind the mouse, Leafeon ran to catch up, and although he was not lacking in pace, his newfound limp quenched any hope he had at saving the two poachers from being subdued by the sparks of Ash's starter. In a panic, the grass type fired a Shadow Ball instead, but that proved to be an even greater mistake.

  "Behind you!"

  Thanks to Ash's warning, Pikachu looked back just in time to see the ghostly projectile leaving his attackers mouth. He sidestepped out of the orb of distortion's path… which now led straight to the two fleeing poachers. The man realized what was about to him with only a split second for the horrific realization to form over his face as the Shadow Ball exploded against his right foot. The concussive force of the blast sent the woman to the ground as blood erupted from where the man's foot used to be. The nightmarishly grating howl from his throat gave Pikachu pause for just a moment before the electric type willed himself to charge at the grass type, who's entire body now stood frozen in regret.

  His starter's Iron Tail uppercutted Leafeon's chin, cleanly finishing him off, but Ash did not even notice. His eyes were glued to the horrifying, inescapable sight of the man and his severed foot, as unable to look away from it as he desperately wanted to. A few feet away, the woman was also on the ground, conscious but dazed from the impact of the Shadow Ball's nearby collision. He did not think to register the team's reactions to the sight, feeling something sickening in his throat as he brought a hand up to his mouth. It was only a split second later that he registered tht his face was growing pale.

  "Did… did his-" he started.

  "No time to care," Janine's face had lost slightly less color, her voice on the verge of trembling, but never reaching the point.

  It took another second or two for her words to fully sink in, and he turned his head to find her purple eyes staring into him. "...Janine…?"

  "We have to retreat." her tone was getting a bit steadier now.

  A cacophony of "yes" and "no" played through his mind. He couldn't leave Nebula behind, but charging into what sounded like a whole gang of criminals was out of the question. But Nebula…

  "How do we get help?" he started, tongue moving faster than his brain. "You said the City's more than a day away, and- wait!" another memory played through his mind from the same incident as before, how he and Paul had used Nebula to deliver a message to contact the police. "Golbat!"

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  "Mhm," she nodded, face fully evening out as she turned to face him directly. "We'll get some distance, and then I'll send a message-Agh!"

  The girl's shout, and the flash of light behind him, were the only warnings Ash had before the incoming figure latched onto his arm. He screamed at the sudden attack, and just as his vision began registering that his assailant was a Kadabra, the psychic's eyes flashed in his face, and his were forced shut.

  Glaceon and Valiant made it to him in time. Janine, Ivysaur, and Pikachu did not.

  "Ash, NOOO!"

  They were gone.

  /

  "Cheri? Edmund? Speak damnit!" Caesar clenched his communicator with a snarl. "Fuck, did they drop their radio in that last blast?"

  At his side, the man with green, spiky hair rose from his seat with crossed arms. "Your orders, sir?"

  "Hold up," Calming himself, Caesar raised his hand while looking around the camp. Apart from those already out on patrol to check the untriggered traps, everybody in his group was accounted for, and surrounding him with undivided attention. "We'll wait for Kadabra too-ah, speak of the Banished."

  The Kadabra in question teleported just outside of the circle, which quickly parted for her to meet the leader of the group halfway, offering him a light bow.

  "So?" Caesar's brow raised as he looked the psychic over. She was wounded. "Did you separate them like I said?" It would have been preferable to capture the intruders outright and warp them right to the camp, but the distance between the camp and the cage the fight had taken place at would require two Teleports for Kadabra to cross, and since Kadabra would need to concentrate between both, that could give the enemy time to get the jump on her if she attempted to take both at once. She had been ordered to at least try and capture one if possible, but to simply separate the two trainers and leave one stranded on their own if it proved too much of a risk.

  Judging by her condition, it seemed to be the case. She was hardly crippled, but whatever struggle had taken place had indeed made itself clear from her bruised side and the open wound in her back.

  "I did, sir." her voice was a deep alto.

  "Good…" although there was frustration in his eyes, he managed a light smile nonetheless. "Tch, damn setbacks. Everyone spread out around the area! We'll pick them off."

  /

  Janine lost the color in her face when Ash, Valiant and Glaceon vanished along with the Kadabra that had seized him. It took a moment or two to process what the intention likely was.

  'They wanted to split us up.'

  Heat rushed to her chest as some of the complexion returned to her face. Gripping her belt, she turned to look at Ivysaur and Pikachu. Her starter was tense, while Ash's starter had his ears drooped. Her eyes traveled further back, landing on the two fallen poachers nearby. Her nose scrunched.

  Toxtricity released in front of her, giving his trainer his usual greeting before his eyes widened at the sight of the mechanical cage, where the ghosts were still collapsed.

  "Poachers, Toxtricity." Janine quickly filled him in. "We were ambushed." The punk Pokemon's eyes narrowed, his frill lighting up in short, but intense flashes before the girl pointed to the two fallen poachers.

  The group quickly made their way to the defeated duo. Now with an up close view, her face wrinkled in disgust at the bloodied sight of the man's now footless right leg, quickly tearing her eyes from him. He was seething in what could only be unadulterated agony, and did not seem to register their presence. The woman, however, seemed to have recovered, rising to her feat.

  Trying to keep herself focused, Janine pointed to the female poacher, and an instant later, the woman yelped as Ivysaur's vines binded her legs, forcing her to fall painfully to the ground once more.

  "Don't get up." Janine warned. "Ivysaur, put the man to sleep." As her starter tranquilized the male poacher with Sleep Powder, the poison specialist stood over the woman. "Roll over, now."

  A frustrated growl escaped the woman's throat as she complied without argument. Now on her back, she came face to face with the purple-haired girl, shooting a dirty glare as Janine stared at the emblem on her uniform, now in full view. The sight of the white star with spikes caused her eyes to narrow.

  "Business, huh? Only filth like you would think that of Pokemon lives." her voice was bitter, in contrast to her rapidly beating heart. "That's the Scarfist logo, isn't it?"

  "I'll never talk." the woman growled.

  "Toxtricity."

  The poacher's eyes widened as Toxtricity knelt down and pressed his hand against the side of her neck. "GAH!" her hair rose upwards as though it had a mind of its own as a weak spark pulsed through punk Pokemon's hand and sizzled against her skin.

  "Do not think you can test me just because I'm a kid." Janine's eyes flashed as she glowered down at the poacher. Ash and his team were in danger because of these people, and they were… doing this. "Who are you and what are you doing here!?"

  Toxtricity ceased the sparks, but still kept his hand against the side of the poacher's neck as she spoke. "W-We are Scarfist Company, yes. We came here on Team Rocket's request."

  "To capture the ghost Pokemon, right?"

  "Yes."

  "Why?" she pressed.

  "We weren't told anything specific," the woman replied as quickly as possible. "It's just what they wanted. Honest."

  "Why should I believe you?" Janine stared down at her coldly, but a more immediate concern acquired her attention instead. "What did you do to my friend's Staravia?" As Nebula was mentioned, Pikachu moved a bit closer, but did not do anything.

  "T-The Staravia was caught observing that cage over there." the woman flinched as Toxtricity briefly applied more pressure to her neck, but did not zap her. "We were worried about being discovered, so we shot her down and brought her to our camp. She's being held in a cell."

  "And she is alive, right?" Janine's brow furrowed.

  "Yes! We didn't kill her, I swear! We just needed her out of the way, and the boss man suspected she might have a trainer, so he sent us to check and investigate where she had been shot, and we ran into you guys."

  Janine's eyes narrowed for just a moment as she looked the woman over. There was a clear mixture of fear and frustration on the poacher's face, as though aware of the danger she was in, but not fully processing that a child had put her in such a position.

  "How many of you are here right now?" she asked. The poacher didn't answer. "Zap her."

  "Wai-AGH!" The poacher grinded her teeth as Toxtricity sent another weak jolt into her neck, this time only for a split second. "Okay, OKAY! There's twelve of us, including us two and the boss. Four more are away from the camp area, and the rest didn't come along."

  "Is my friend at your camp now, too?" Janine knelt down to better look her in the eye. "Because if they took him hostage-"

  "I'm not sure!" the woman nearly stammered. "Kadabra's teleportation is limited. It wouldn't be easy for her to do two trips in quick succession, with an uncooperative target. I think the boss might have just used her to split you guys up."

  "Oh, so they can hunt us instead?" the girl hissed. "What an improvement. You better hope for your teams' sake nothing happens to him."

  "We won't do anything that isn't necessary." the woman insisted.

  "None of this is necessary!" Janine spat. "But if you're telling the truth, I don't have time to keep talking with you. Ivysaur, put her under."

  The poacher's eyes doubled in size. "W-What!? Wait, no! Hold o-" The Sleep Powder was already falling on her face, and her voice trailed off as her eyes closed and her body relaxed.

  Rising to her feet, Janine's shaking eyes remained glued to the woman's unconscious form. Her fingers squeezed tightly against her palms as Pikachu looked up at her.

  "I've had it with this…" she only half realized she was speaking out loud, before noticing the electric mouse's gaze. Her heart sank at his expression; his ears were still drooped, and as he looked away from her, as though half hoping his trainer and teammates could be spotted somewhere in the distance, she sank down and rubbed his head.

  "We're going to find them, Pikachu." her touch seemed to sooth him a little bit. "You're not losing any of them today. I'm not, either." removing her hand from his head, the girl hurriedly fished through her backpack, taking out a clipboard with a paper and pen to write on it. "I did not want to charge head first into this, but we don't have much of a choice now. Ash and the others don't have time to wait and hope for the authorities to get here. But I'm at least going to send a message to alert them. The city is still a ways off, but there should be a ranger base somewhere not too far away."

  As she spoke out loud, her brow furrowed again. These people were lucky to have not gone detected until now. Fuchsia patrols had always been thorough, but perhaps the recent ghost incident had thrown everything off. It was still a foolish move regardless; surely these poachers would have been discovered sooner or later, depending on how much longer they remained in the area. Or were they moving their camp around overtime? But then what about the cages-

  Shaking her head, she decided she did not have time to brainstorm. Finishing her message, she released Golbat, and quickly informed him with as efficient a summary as she could.

  "So I need you to take this message and deliver it to the first patrol or post you find." she declared, as her aerial partner took hold of the clipboard. "I left my signature on it, so they should know that it is indeed from me." Even if Golbat encountered the Fuchsia police force instead of the Clan, the force still worked directly under her father, and a quick scan should show her signature in the records. "Please hurry."

  The venomous flier nodded loyally before taking off with the message in his grip. Janine's gaze lingered on his fleeing form for just a moment before she tore it away, focusing on Ivysaur, Toxtricity, and Pikachu now.

  "Alright you three," despite her still quickened heartbeat, and face carrying slightly less color, her eyes were steel. "Let's help our friends."

  /

  Ash's surroundings had changed in the blink of an eye. Moments later, the Kadabra that had snatched him retreated following quick retaliation from Glaceon and Valiant.

  "Janine? Pikachu?" Looking around, he knew calling out was in vain. With a breath, he turned back to his two teammates, who looked at him in clear unease.

  Those poachers were either planning to abduct him or separate him from Janine and the others with that Teleport gambit, which would likely mean…

  "Guys…" he managed to keep his voice from trembling. 'We're probably going to be ambushed soon."

  Part of him wanted to panic. Likely should have panicked, but he found his composure before he lost it, delivering the statement steady and matter-of-fact. Seeing the way Valiant and Glaceon tensed up- in a manner that felt more "ready" than "nervous"- reinforced his grip.

  Phenom and Tempest were quickly released on either side of him, the Krabby's eyes narrowing in suspicion as the Tyrunt looked around curiously. As Ash gave a quick summary of the events that had transpired, the dinosaur clenched his jaw, and Tempest turned his view to the distance, pincers clicking in anticipation. Knowing that standing still would do them no favors, the group set off. It was uneasy, having no idea which direction they were going in; for all he knew they were taking themselves even further from the others. At the same time, they needed to find Nebula…

  'And that means going directly to their turf.' he forced himself to acknowledge. It was madness to deliberately pick a fight with hardened criminals; at the very least it shouldn't be done without backup and support. Finding Janine first was the safest option, but by then, what if it was too late? He had no way of knowing what these people intended to do to Nebula, and he refused to find out, or give them a chance to make a decision. Either way, all of that reasoning meant nothing when they had no knowledge of where either of them were. For all he knew, their current movements were taking them further away from both.

  The four Pokemon instinctively surrounded Ash as they continued walking, quick to ensure that their trainer was unexposed on all sides. The boy muttered a thanks before beginning to slow, prompting them to halt.

  "Valiant, can you feel anything?" It was a bit of a long shot, but it was at least a good place to start.

  "...There are more captive ghosts, in more than one direction." the Kirlia responded with a slightly scrunched face after a silent moment of unease. "I can not tell exactly where, but, they've been flooding my-" abruptly, his eyes widened, and everyone was immediately alert.

  "What is it?" Ash was already bracing himself for what he knew his psychic friend was going to say.

  "Hostile! Coming from there!"

  No sooner than when Valiant pointed westward, Ash could see the figures coming into view. Two men, one burly and the other short, being led by four large dogs that were easily recognized as two Mightyena and two Houndoom. As the would-be attackers came to a stop several meters from the group, the canine quartet continued their advance in easy going silence, bodies bent into a stance as they slowly crept closer to them. Phenom's growl elicited a snarl from one of the Houndoom, while Tempest positioned himself in front of everyone else, his signature battle stance firmly locked as his mouth began to bubble. Although not as loud as Phenom's, Glaceon's growl was focused and consistent, carrying on and on as though it were a perpetual noise that would never stop. Valiant, in contrast, backed away, eyes tightening as he stood protectively in front of Ash.

  The short man had a smug expression that eerily reminded Ash of Gary. "Cute, but bravado isn't gonna do you much good on Scarfist turf, kid."

  'Scarfist…' Ash repeated in his head, quickly thinking back to Janine. She had clearly been alarmed by whoever these people were. Of course, it was obvious either way that they were dangerous, but her words would make for a good reminder, at least.

  The burly man did not share in his partner's arrogance, but the sharp, nearly murderous glare he aimed at the group wasn't exactly an upgrade while he gestured his hand towards himself. "Come quietly and you won't get hurt."

  Ash shrank under the large criminal's gaze for a moment or two, but as his own eyes rested on the opposing group, his mind began moving on its own. Not only had they hurt Nebula, these people were the ones capturing and torturing the ghost Pokemon. The same ghost Pokemon who…

  …

  Valiant must have sensed the change before his trainer spoke, because he looked back at Ash in surprise as the boy fixed the poachers with a steady glare. "Come quietly and what? Hand over my Pokemon? You already took one, now give her back!"

  "Tsk," the shorter man's smugness did not dissipate; if anything, it even intensified as he shook his head with an almost cartoonish shrug of the arms. "Kids these days get a few lousy Pokemon and suddenly think they're king and queen of the world. We're doing important work here, pipsqueak."

  Ash almost wanted to say "Pipsqueak? I'm almost as tall as you!" but his tongue held itself back, even as the anger in his chest guided it. "Important work!? You're stuffing ghosts into those weird cages! You're hurting them!"

  The short poacher opened his mouth, but the burly one must have known that whatever his partner said wasn't going to be productive, because he cut his teammate off. "Don't waste time, we're on a tight schedule, remember?"

  The short one breathed through his nose. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. Boys, take them!"

  The four canines sprang into action, paws mashing against the dirt as they galloped towards the group in a chorus of barking and snarling. Valiant raised his fists in anticipation, not moving from his spot as his three teammates shot forward, Glaceon quickly overtaking Phenom and Tempest at the front. She met the front Mightyena with an Iron Tail to the top of his skull, sending him rolling backwards just as the other three prepared to dogpile her. One Houndoom and the other Mightyena aimed to wrap their Fire Fangs around her back. With a twirl, she intercepted the Houndoom, who instead clamped onto her Iron Tail. Although the maneuver allowed her to avoid the worst of it, the ice type still clenched her teeth in displeasure, and the mild pain in her tail was soon accompanied by a worse pain in her back as the Mightyena latched on.

  That same Mightyena was quickly knocked off of her by Phenom's Rock Blast, which struck the dark canine in his ribs, pelting painfully against him as Tempest blocked a Thunder Fang from the second Houndoom. The Houndoom attacking Glaceon remained painfully latched onto her tail no matter how hard she struggled, but she finally managed to aim a Water Pulse to blast in his face, forcing him off in a surprised wail. Before she could follow up her attack, the first Mightyena that she had hit earlier returned and struck her in the side, sending rolling against the dirt. Before he could follow up, Valiant (stepping forward just enough to properly take aim without straying too far away from Ash) blindsided him with a Moonblast. The sudden offense attracted the attention of one of the Houndoom, and although Ash's eyes widened as a Flamethrower was aimed in his and Valiant's direction, the blast was intercepted by a barrier as his psychic friend hastily teleported in front of him. Tempest was about to attack in retaliation, but was beaten to the punch by an enraged Phenom, who leapt onto the Houndoom's back and sank a Poison Fang just below his neck. The large dog's yelp of pain progressively gave way to helpless screaming as his struggles proved fruitless, and the grip of the dinosaur's crushing jaws tightened, and tightened, and tightened…

  Although the poacher's went into the fight with confidence, their bravado dwindled as the weakened Mightyena was swiftly knocked out by Glaceon's tail. The remaining Mightyena blasted Phenom in a desperate attempt to force him away from Houndoom, but to everybody's astonishment, the Tyrunt held on through the impact, and the Houndoom began sinking to the dirt, blood staining his fur as his eyes grew heavy and his muscles felt as though they would shut down.

  Glaceon and Tempest shared a brief glance as they faced off with the remaining Mightyena and Houndoom. The two dogs backed away for a moment, slightly more cautious than before as their trainers barked orders.

  Ash took a gamble. Right now, Glaceon and Tempest were positioned between him and the enemies, so he wasn't without protection. "Valiant, they attack, I need you to teleport past them and put both poachers to sleep with Hypnosis. I'll be fine, I promise."

  Valiant clearly did not want to leave his trainer's side, but complied with the order nonetheless. The two dogs fired a Shadow Ball and Flamethrower, which were both intercepted by two Water Pulses, and that's when the Kirlia made his move, just as the short poacher was pulling out another ball.

  "Hey, wait-!" His startled yelp was a costly distraction for both dogs, whose mutual attention briefly flickered from Glaceon and Tempest, turning their heads to their trainers and Valiant.

  "NOW! Super Tail! Chokeslam!"

  It was already too late when Mightyena and Houndoom looked back, Glaceon was already on top of them, and downward strike to the top of Mightyena's head propelled him face first into the ground with an impact that nearly shook the earth. Houndoom snarled an aggression, but did not get far as Tempest's pincer found itself tightly latched around his throat with Vise Grip. A pillar of water propelled the Krabby off of the ground, courtesy of Surf, before coming down to slam his enemy into the dirt. All air was forcibly ripped from Houndoom, and a quick Iron Tail to the head from Glaceon was all the remaining assurance they needed.

  The burly man was retreating as his smug comrade carelessly collapsed into the grass, fully passed out. Glaceon sprinted ahead of him, and with a pale face, he stopped in his tracks as she growled in front of him, frosty air trailing out of her mouth from between her teeth. Just as he turned around, he was met with Valiant's hypnotic gaze, and lost consciousness just as easily as his partner.

  Ash's relief lasted only a split second as he heard a familiar growl. A Tyrunt's growl. The battle had been won, all attackers successfully defeated and neutralized, but…

  Phenom had not released Houndoom.

  By now, the fiery canine's last remaining consciousness was ancient history, having passed out from a surefire combination of the agonizing devastation that was the Tyrunt's deadly jaws, and the toxins of Poison Fang flowing through his bloodstream. Phenom's grip had not loosened, however. In fact, it may have even grown tighter still. The Houndoom's form was disturbingly limp as the young dinosaur continued to wrestle a foe that had long since stopped fighting back.

  "Phenom!" Ash's alarmed tone caught everyone else's attention as he raced towards his friend, kneeling down as the dragon seemed to not even register his presence, or the sound of his voice. "Phenom, the fight's over."

  No response. Just more clenching of the jaws, and some aggressive growling for good measure. Ash immediately regretted taking a closer look; he was no doctor, but whatever bones of Houndoom that had been trapped between his friend's jaws may have given way from the pressure and collapsed.

  "Please, Phenom…" Ash raised a hand to stop the rest of his teammates as they made their way forward. "Please, you have to let go…" momentarily, his voice quivered, almost to a begging degree. No response. With a deep breath, the boy firmly pressed a hand against his chest before focusing his gaze more clearly, this time successfully tightening his face, and sharpening his voice. "Phenom, I said let go!"

  It may have been his imagination, but Phenom seemed like he may have heard him

  That time. Either way, he did not register it enough for it to change his behavior. Looking more

  Closely, this time at his friend and not at the Houndoom, Ash gazed into his youngest companion's eyes, and for a moment, he saw the wild ferocity of a predator from ancient, uncivilized times.

  …

  "I said LET GOOOO!"

  …

  Gears turned in Phenom's head. First slowly, then more steadily.

  The fire shrank in size.

  His jaw loosened and opened, far too slowly for Ash's liking, but eventually, Houndoom was free. Or at least, his helpless, defeated form was. Ash wasted no time inspecting the enemy canine as Phenom sank into a sitting position. The dog was still breathing, and that was good, but…

  As Ash turned his head, his eyes locked onto the Tyrunt's. The young, draconic dinosaur made one sound: A tame, domesticated whimper. It may have been the sound of his friend's voice, or the look on his face, but something punched a hole in Ash's heart.

  "Buddy…" Although the young trainer proceeded with caution, it progressively subsided as he wrapped his arms around Phenom. "It's okay, he's down. Just stay calm, there there…" It took some time, but it felt as though the Tyrunt's muscles were relaxing in the embrace, which he gently returned, being careful not to poke his trainer with his claws. For a moment, Ash grew comfortable, and time stopped, as he kept the hug going for just a bit longer.

  Where they were, that was a mistake.

  A sudden, hostile shout pulled the two apart. Ash's eyes widened in fright as a Raticate was upon him, ready to sink deadly teeth into his face-

  And then Glaceon was in front of him, punting the large rat straight into his front teeth with Iron Tail. There was a wail of pain, and then Valiant and Tempest finished him off.

  It took a while longer for Ash's heartbeat to lower itself to a reasonable pace after what may have been the most sudden brush with death he had ever, and hopefully would ever, come to experience. No poachers were nearby, but he had little doubt that the normal type was a part of the group, likely sent out on its own to help hunt them down. Cautiously, he had his four companions lined up: Although Valiant was unscathed, the other three had taken varying degrees of damage.

  "Valiant," Ash managed to regain control of his voice. "Fix them with Life Dew."

  The young psychic nodded before turning to his teammates, who looked back at him in turn. Raising his arms, a glowing blue orb formed between his hands. As he aimed it upwards, water gently shot out from it. It was a glowing, almost otherworldly form of water; the kind that one would expect to find in a magical place from a fairy tale, and the glittering aesthetic made it feel as though the liquid had its own form of sunlight inside of it. The water sprayed soothingly against Glaceon, Phenom, and Tempest: To the former it felt perfectly cold, and to the latter two it felt perfectly warm. To all three, it was more refreshing than any shower one could hope to take.

  Being a water type, Tempest was the most easily affected by the special water's healing properties, yet was the least hurt of the three, and thus the one that needed it the least. Nonetheless, everybody got what was needed from it: Wounds closed, bruises disappeared, and although Life Dew did not restore energy the same way it repaired the body, spirits were reinvigorated.

  After the group (Ash included) all offered Valiant a quick thanks, the young rookie was quick to straighten himself, face scrunching as he looked on ahead. "We're in their territory, you guys. No matter which direction we walk in, we won't be getting away. There will be more fights if we're not careful, and maybe even if we are, but we need something to go by."

  Something. Nebula was here somewhere. His close friend, his starter's closest friend, and the first Pokemon he ever caught, being held captive. The rapid beating of his heart produced boiling blood.

  "Valiant," he looked down at his friend. It seemed he was asking a lot of the Kirlia today (even more than usual), and although he may have felt guilty of that a couple months ago, the almost dutifully prepared look on the young psychic's face invited no shame, and only encouraged him. "Your emotional senses are the only lead we have, to try and find something. Nebula's not the only one here who needs help, but going in the direction from where you feel the ghosts in those cages gives us some form of navigation. Think you can handle it?"

  He wasn't even sure if this would work. Valiant's sensitivity wasn't actually a radar, but it had worked in a very simplistic form in the past. Thankfully, the nod Ash's request received did not seem all too reluctant. "Then we better get going."

  As they set off, a new pit formed in Ash's stomach. They weren't the only ones stranded, after all. Janine was as well. Pikachu and her team were all with her. There was never a moment where he doubted her, but as she and the others entered his mind, thoughts of her well being only quickened his stressed heart.

  /

  "WHERE ARE THEY!?" Janine dodged an attack that Ivysaur had narrowly failed to block in time. "Answer me, you pigs!"

  Jad hissed in displeasure as an irate Beedrill plunged her Poison Jab into the neck of the Mightyena that had tried to snipe her trainer. The large canine wheezed in agony before Pikachu blurred into him with a Brick Break, knocking him out. Ivysaur's poison covered vines were keeping a Raticate at bay while Toxtricity's Hyper Voice blasted a Houndoom back, only to quickly be forced to duck under a Machoke's Fire Punch. Another Raticate was now pursuing Pikachu, while Beedrill clashed Fury Attacks with a male member of her species.

  Jad grunted, a bead of sweat rolling down his cheek as he eyed the woman with strawberry-blonde hair. "Vannie, she's pushing us back, and the damn Ivysaur snatched our communicators." the moment they had tried to call for backup, the vines had shot out of the grass/poison type's bulb, grabbed the devices and tossed them out of reach. At least one of them had been crushed by Machoke's body landing on it when Pikachu had struck him.

  "What do you want me to do, preach to the choir like you!?" Vannie snarled irritably. "If we try to run we'll leave ourselves open. Besides, we still have this one…" her hand tugged against the remaining Poke Ball on her belt.

  Air shot out of Jad's nose. "Tch, that thing is as mindless as a loose helicopter blade. This little turd will be begging us to drag her back when he's done flattening her damn upstarts."

  "Agreed, but if I let him out now, he'll be distracted flattening our other Pokemon in the line of fire. Last resort." her face wrinkled. "I can't believe we might need it. Who is she?"

  Janine's eyes flared as Raticate successfully found his way through Ivysaur's barrage of Venom Vines- albeit with multiple infected gashes that burned atrociously- and struck him in the face with an Iron Tail that sent him sliding back towards his trainer. 'Keep coming, that's how these brutes trained you.'

  The Raticate charged as Ivysaur shook his head, which now had a visible bruise where the metallic tail had struck him. The bulky rodent's mouth was opening almost wide enough to be mistaken for a snake or an alligator.

  Janine did not smirk, she simply glared. "Now, Ivysaur!"

  It was comparatively easy for such thuggishly trained creatures to fall for a trap that a Pokemon trained with care likely could have understood was being sprung. As Raticate closed in to make a meal out of her starter's head, the vine that lashed out from Ivysaur's bulb was drenched in poison, and easily found its way into the rat's mouth in place of the intended target. The normal type's eyes bulged, the only thing he had time to do before the violent choking started. Although Janine's expression did not shift, her heart broke as she watched him fall to the ground, hacking up blood that stained the grassy soil. On the other side, Jad's face lost its color as Vannie's nostrils flared like an erupting volcano.

  'They either do unspeakable things to Pokemon, or force the Pokemon to assist them in those unspeakable things.' The thought gave the glare in her eyes a bitter glint just before Ivysaur finished the rat off with a charged Energy Ball.

  The rest of the battle continued to turn in their favor, although she hardly celebrated such. They would not be out of the woods from winning this one encounter alone, and it took everything for her to remain focused on the action with her mind desperately trying to race.

  First Pikachu's Shock Rush knocked out the Houndoom, then Toxtricity's Brick Break claimed the remaining Raticate. Beedrill's Toxin Saw dropped Machoke next, and Toxtricty's Thunderbolt finished off the male Beedrill.

  Jad was shaking, although from where she was standing she could not tell if it was from fear or rage. She didn't care. "What the hell are you made of, bitch!? Did you even pay attention to what you did to Raticate!? You were barely blinking!"

  "ENOUGH!" Janine's foot smacked against the dirt. "How many times did you blink when you tortured those ghosts!? How many other Pokemon have you hurt just to stuff your pockets with some immoral black market dealer's money!? That's okay, isn't it? Because you're the ones who get something out of it! I'm giving you one more chance to tell us what you did with our friends!"

  "That's not how this works, girl." Vannie's patience had run out halfway through the fight, and she made little effort to show it as she held out her final Poke Ball. "This is your last chance to listen to the grown-ups and come with us. You'll see your mistake once I've let him out."

  "I'm not giving us up to your kind." Janine's voice was firm.

  "Then I guess I won't have to lose too much sleep over making a pancake out of a kid," Vannie's eyes were cold enough to be mistaken for Articuno's wings. "Not when they brought it on themselves." She tossed the ball, and it only took Janine an extra moment or two to recognize the Pokemon that emerged when it burst open.

  He was clearly a Vigoroth, but almost resembled a white Slaking. Not quite big enough, but somewhat the size of a below average specimen of its evolved form. The normal type ape wasn't too much taller than one would expect of a Vigoroth, but it was the build that widened the girl's eyes. His muscles were massive, and as Janine took in his appearance, maybe unnaturally so. It was like they were pulsing violently, trying to rip through the skin and fur themselves.

  The team regrouped as Vigoroth hollered, pounding his chest with the eyes of a beast that wanted to smash everything in sight to pieces. Beedrill rushed him before he got the chance, stabbing at his stomach with Brick Break, but was met with a Thunder Punch that easily overpowered her strike and sent her tumbling back past the group. As Vigoroth's fists slammed into the ground, repositioning himself on all fours, Janine could have sworn there was more than just rage on the feral creature's face. He looked somewhat… pained.

  "Rare candies…" she muttered out loud.

  Then he charged.

  The Vigoroth showed little caution, but he seldom needed caution. As the team launched their counter assault, their attacks clearly hurt, but were only half registered, and did about a quarter as much to slow him down. He would walk through Pikachu's sizzling Thunderbolt to nearly splatter him with an oversized fist glowing with a vibrant Brick Break. Ivysaur's Ailment Mix would fully expose him to Sleep Powder, yet he would fight the fatigue to a near alien degree, while the Poison Powder's toxins aggravated his aggression just as much as they likely harmed him on the inside. There was no technique and little strategy in the way he attacked, instead swinging and stomping like a madman. Blessedly, the team avoided direct hits, the closest call being when Beedrill protectively took a flaming fist that was meant for Ivysaur, just barely reinforcing her stingers with Focus Energy in time to block. Even then, she took long enough to get up for her trainer to reach for her Poke Ball, briefly assuming her defeat.

  She could see the disgusting smugness on the poachers' faces as the manic ape continued to thrash, no doubt fully intent on turning his fists to her the moment he was done with her team, but the idea came to her mind as Beedrill finally returned to hovering above the ground. Toxtricty's Hyper Voice had just caused Vigoroth to stagger, creating just the ideal distance…

  "Pikachu, Counter Shield! Get back, you guys!"

  The response was automatic: Ivysaur and Toxtricity leapt backwards twice before they were directly in front of her, the former using his vines to do so. Beedrill flew backwards after them. Her left stinger was held lower than the right; her arm was injured.

  Before Vigoroth could lunge forward, Pikachu got on his back and spun around. The tornado of lightning that had proved instrumental against Gary was even brighter and more intense now, not to mention somewhat bigger. It was a brilliant move that Janine had admired from the moment she had first seen it in full, but she was not strictly using it for counter defense. There was little doubt Vigoroth could (albeit painfully) charge straight through it if given the chance.

  He would not get it. "Toxtrictiy, channel Pikachu's lightning and use Wild Charge!" her lizard friend keenly obeyed, jumping into the electrical vortex. His body glowed vibrantly as he absorbed as much of the lightning as his system could handle, before blazing forward with the biggest-and fastest-Wild Charge he had ever used.

  Vigoroth did not shrug this one off, all air leaving his lungs as Toxtricity's form, resembling a missile of lightning more than a lizard, smashed into him just barely below the chest. As he staggered backwards, it looked almost certain that he would lose his balance, but Ivysaur made sure: Wrapping his legs in vines and pulling his feet out from under him. After his back roughly collided with the dirt, Beedrill was above him, her good stinger raised with vengeance as panic passed over the poaching duo's faces.

  "Focus Energy," Janine ordered. "And Agility. Pierce through."

  Beedrill's powered up stinger pulsed with Poison Jab, and she charged straight down. The stinger shared more similarities with a sword as it dug into the Vigoroth's unnaturally muscular flesh, and the toxins in his system finally caught up with him as her downwards stab left a gaping, burning wound.

  Vannie's face was now paler than Jad's had ever been, and it may have been the seconds she took to snap out of it that had cost her. "Wh-Wha… shit!" She turned to run, but Pikachu had already passed her, blocking her path on all fours with violently sparking cheeks, angry eyes, and a sizzling tail. "Hold on-ACK!" Ivysaur's vines snatched her form and forced her back.

  "Put her to sleep!" Janine called out, jogging towards them behind her advancing team.

  "To hell with that!" Jad's hand moved like a blur, and Janine's heart skipped a beat as he pulled out an eight inch knife. Whatever he had been planning to do, however, he froze in his tracks as Toxicity stepped towards him, frills crackling with electricity just begging to be fired off. The man watched helplessly as his partner collapsed, showered in Sleep Powder with vines painfully binding her arms to her waist as she drifted off. "This wasn't-HEY!" his heart probably skipped more than one beat as Beedrill batted the knife out of his hand. He briefly lost his balance, landing on his bottom and scooting away with impressive speed as the hovering poison bug loomed over him. "The hell's your problem!?"

  "My problem…" Janine involuntarily paused to catch her breath. "Is having to breathe the same air as people like you. You should be grateful that wasn't Poison Powder." With the knife gone, she managed to tear her eyes away from him, instead finding solace in the sight of her starter, who, along with Pikachu, was already closing in. "It's his turn." Her words were like flipping a switch: A new pair of vines shot out of Ivysaur's bulb and seized Jad in an equally hopeless grip.

  "LET ME GO!" he wriggled more violently than any creature she or her team had witnessed, but it was no use. "When I get out of here I will fucking end you-!" Ivysaur's Sleep Powder bathed him, and then he collapsed.

  As Janine stood over his limp body, her expression shifted. Her eyes were irate, blinking back tears she did not want out. Her face was pained. In frustration, she brought her foot to Jad's ribs, but it ended up only being a nudge.

  The white in her knuckles disappeared as her hands opened up. Her mouth sucked in air like a vacuum before releasing like a fan, and she looked to see the team was watching her in curious concern. The tiny smile across her lips did not reach her eyes, nor her voice.

  "Let's keep moving."